If Your Expert Brand’s Content isn’t Working, Try This: How to Use Awareness Levels to Refine & Focus Your Expert Brand Content

If you want to get more clients at the RIGHT Sophistication level for your Offers, then you should, unless you really know what you’re doing, only focus on ONE awareness level in your content. 

Awareness levels are the phases someone goes through psychologically as they become aware of their problem. Chances are, this problem is just one of the factors keeping them from maturing to the next Sophistication Stage. Your job in content is to get them to understand their desires, pain points, problems, and potential solutions in the best light that’s conducive to them buying your service. 

And let me reiterate something else: AWARENESS LEVELS ARE NOT BRAND TOUCHPOINTS. Too many people think awareness has to do with how aware they are of your brand… and then wonder why their content doesn’t work. 

Okay, the awareness stages your marketing content could focus on are:

Desire Aware

• Before State: "I want to achieve Z, but I can't see how I'd ever get there."
• After State: "If I find a way to get rid of X pain points, I will achieve Z."  
• Your Goal: Get them to understand that getting what they want lies in removing certain pain points. (These pain points are symptoms of the problem.) 

Problem Aware 

• Before State: "If I find a way to get rid of X pain points, I will achieve Z." 
• After State: "The root cause of X pain points is X problem, and if I can find a solution, I can get rid of X and get Z quickly and easily." 
• Your Goal: Get them to understand that eliminating the pain points  solves the problem they feel. 

Solution Aware

• Before State: The root cause of X pain points is X problem, and if I can find a solution, I can get rid of X and get Z quickly and easily." 
• After State: "The only way to eliminate X problem and get Z quickly and easily is by finding the best Y solution."
• Your Goal: Get them to understand that the ONLY way to solve the specific problem they have is by using one specific solution. (e.g., choosing an agency instead of other options)

Product Aware

• Before State: "The only way to eliminate X problem and get Z quickly and easily is by finding the best Y solution."
• After State: "The best Y solution is [your company], and I'm ready to buy."
• Your Goal: Get them to understand that YOUR product is the best product within the entire solution category. (e.g., you are the best agency among all other agencies to solve this particular problem, for this person, to achieve this result.)

Quick Exercise:

Think about your marketing strategy right now. Do you have content and offers at each awareness level and for each sophistication stage you target? Use the above stages and tips to come up with content for each type. And all that sounds completely overwhelming, this is what I do – help Expert Brands come up with Brand Voice messaging and then turn that messaging into more right-fit clients.

Lynn Swayze is "The Expert's Copywriter," helping Experts grow their Expert Brand using more aligned Messaging & Marketing. (She also trains those who works for Experts do the same.)